Support and reflector for luminous tubes



Sept. 15, 1942. J. A; HOEVELER SUPPORT AND REFLECTOR FOR LUMINOUS TUBES Filed Dec. 1-3, 1940 2 SheetsSheet l INVENTO R Jo/mAfloere/er' lac II I I III I Sept. 15, 1942. J. A. HOEVELER I 2,295,783

SUPPORT AND REFLECTOR FOR LUMINOUS TUBES Filed Dec. 13, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR EZ ZMZZ Patented Sept. 15, 1 942 surrort'rann amsc'roa son summons 'runss John A. l loeveler, Mount Lebanon, 2a., assignor to Pittsburgh Reflector Company, Pittsburgh, Pa a corporation of New Jersey Application December 1:, 1940, Serial No. ssasss 2 Claims. (01. 240-1) tubes have'certain special requirements. Each tube, for example, requires a starting switch and a ballast device. The tubes themselves. furthermore. are made in various lengths to suit special requirements.

I have invented a novel form of mounting which is particularly designed for supporting the holders for luminous tubes and the auxiliary devices and equipment used in connection therewith. I provide a mounting in the form of a tubular duct comprising two separable --pieces, i. e... a back or base and a face or cover. which may be made up in any convenient lengths and cut to any speciflc length as may be required. The base and cover are of channel section and are dimensioned to flt together-closely. The cover is provided with knockouts suitably spaced therealong whereby holes may be formed at appropriate intervals to receive the lamp-holders or sockets. Additional knock-outs are provided which, when removed, admit removable starting switches cooperating with one of the holders for each tube.

A further feature of the invention is a troughshaped reflector adapted to be secured to the cover of the mounting. The reflector is preferably formed in various lengths suited to the lengths of'the tubes and each section thereof has a flat bottom and inclined flat side faces whereby it may be disposed on the mounting length of tube and one section of reflector secured thereon;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mounting with the tube and reflector removed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line III-4H of Fig. 1 showing the tube and its holders or sockets in elevation;

Fig. is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a plurslity of tubes positioned on the mounting, a reflector section cooperating with each tube and a connector bridging the gap between the ends of adiacent reflector sections;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line v-v of Fig. 8; 1l 'ig. 6 is a perspective view of a reflector sec t on;

Figs. 7 and 8 are nectors;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the auxiliary plate for supporting the ballast devices; and

Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view similar to Fig. 5 showing a modified form of securin means for the mounting duct.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the tubular mounting duct ll comprises a back or base II and a cover or face If. The base and cover are of channel shape in section and flt similar views of reflector conclosely together as shown in Fig. 5 but may easily be separated when desired. The cover it is provided with knock-outs I! spaced along the Luminous tubes I! are removably inserted in.

the holders It and It. These tubes come in several lengths, i. e 18", 24", 36" and 48". The knock-outs II are, therefore, spaced on 6" centers, in order to accommodate any combinacover in symmetrical or asymmetrical relation thereto.

Further features of the invention include an auxiliary plate for supporting a ballast device inions features of the invention refers to the aceompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment. Inthedrawin h tion of different lengths of luminous tubes. the spacing between centers of adiacent'knock-outs being a factor common to the various tube lengths.

The cover if is also provided with knock-outs Fig. 1 is a'plan view of a mounting having one End caps II are provided for closing the ends of the duct l and are mbstantially U-shaped in section, having a knock-out formed therein adapted to provide a hole 22 for supply conductors. The caps 21 have flat portions 23 hearing on the interior of the base I and flat portions 24 adapted to cover one-half of the area of the knock-out II at the end of the duct where only a single holder H or I4 is employed.

A ballast device 25 is connected in circuit with each luminous tube 1. The ballast device is provided with slotted end flanges 28 whereby it may be secured to the cover I! by bolts 21. The ballast devices of different manufacturers, however, differ in length. In order to accommodate ballast devices of any length, I provide an auxiliary supporting plate 28 adapted to flt inside the cover l2 and having a central, longitudinal slot 29 therein. The plate 33 is provided with a screw 30 having a counter-sunk head welded thereto. The plate may be secured in position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 by a bolt 3| passing through a hole provided by removing one of the knock-outs 20 and through the slot 23. When the bolt 3i is loosened, the plate 23 may be adjusted longitudinally of the duct to position the screw 30 properly to enter the slotted end of the ballast device 25.

A reflector 32 is mounted on the cover II. The reflector is trough-shaped in section having a flat bottom 33 and inclined flat sides 34. The reflector is made in lengths conforming to those of the tubes H. The reflector has knock-outs 35 therein whereby it may be fltted down over the upper end of the starting switch l3. The knockouts 35 are positioned in the flat bottom 33 and in one of the flat side portions 3| of the reflector. Knock-outs 3i, similarly positioned, pro vide holes for bolts,31 passing through holes in the cover l2 provided by the knock-outs 23 for securing 'the reflector thereto. The location of the knock-outs 35 and 3. permits the reflector to be mounted symmetrically, as shown in solid lines in Fig. 5, i. e., with its flat bottom 33 engaging the cover i2 flatwise.- The reflector may also be mounted asymmetrically as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, when the flat side 34 thereof, having the knock-outs 35 and 36 therein, is disposed flatwise against the cover l2.

Reflector connectors 31 and 38 have the same sectional shape as the reflector 32 and have their edges bent over as at 39. The connectors are adapted to bridge the gap between the ends of adjacent reflectors 32, as shown in Fig. 4. The connectors have knock-outs II, II and l2 In the connectors 31, these knock-outs are disposed in the flat bottom portion whereas in the connector 38, they are disposed in one of the flat side portions. The holes provided by the knockouts 42 admit the upstanding portions of the holders l4, l4. Similarly, the hole provided by the knock-outs 4| receives the upper end of the starting switch IS. The knock-outs 42 provide holes admitting bolts 43 for securing the connectors and the ends of the associated reflectors to the cover l2. The connector 31, of course, is used with the symmetrical mounting of the reflector shown in solid lines in Fig. 5, while the connector 38 is used when the reflector is asymmetrically disposed as shown in dotted lines.

The assembled mounting duct may be secured to a floor, wall or other supporting surface H by a U-shaped strap 45 and screws 49 as shown in Fig. 5. An alternate form of duct-securing means is shown in Fig. which comprises a U-shaped stirrup 41 attached by suitable screws.

The ends of the stirrup 41 extend slightly beyond the cover l2 and have holes therein adapted to receive a tie 49. The ends of the tie are bent up after insertion to hold the duct in place.

In using the invention, certain of the knockouts ll of the cover I! are removed, depending on the lengths of the tubes to be installed. The holders l4 and H are next attached, the knockouts It being removed as required to receive the starting switches IS. The ballast devices are next attached to the cover. The necessary wiring connections are then attached. This is facilitated because the cover I2 is entirely open at the back when removed from the base I l. The reflectors 32 are then secured in place and the connectors 31 or 33 attached. The connectors may be seated over the ends of the reflectors merely by manually collapsing the edges of the reflectors slightly at their ends and forcing the connectors downwardly thereover. The cover I! is then assembled with the base il after attachment of the end caps 2| to the former. The completed mounting is then secured in place by straps I! or stirrups 41 and ties 43, after which the luminous tubes may be inserted in the holders. If the straps 45 are employed, they are disposed over the cover before the reflectors are put in place. If the stirrups l1 and ties 49 are used, the reflector bolts 31 may be loosened slightly to admit the ties 43 between the reflectors and the cover l2.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the invention provides a mounting for luminous tubes having numerous advantages. In the first place, the spacing of the knock-outs for the lamp-holders and starting switches is such as .to accommodate any standard length tube in any position. The lamp-holder knock-outs are designed to receive a pair of holders back to back, the usual arrangement when a continuous installation is desired. At the ends of the duct, the end caps cover the unoccupied half of the knockout opening. The reflector is adapted for symmetrical or asymmetrical mounting, depending on the distribution of light desired, and the connectors bridge the gaps between adjacent reflectors, providing a substantially continuous refleeting effect. The auxiliary supporting plate for the ballast device is highly useful to accommodate devices of different manufacturers which vary in length.

The entire construction is simple so that it can be readily assembled without elaborate instructions and at the same time is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. It provides a continuous, rigid support for the luminous tubes and also a housing for the necessary wiring. The mounting also presents a neat appearance so it may be used in exposed locations.

Although I have illustrated and described but a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mounting for luminous tubes comprising a. sheet metal duct including a cover several times as long as the tubes, having knock-outs spaced therealong adapted to receive lamp-holders and additional knock-outs adapted to receive starting switches, a trough-shaped reflector adapted to be mounted on said duct, said reflector also having starting switch knock-outs, the reflector lmock-outs being so positioned as to. be in aline- 2,295,788 3 ment with the starting switch knock-outs in the lamp-holders, one of said knock-outs being 10- duct cover when the reflector is mounted thereon, cated adjacent an end of the duct cover, and a said reflector including sections disposed end to cap adapted to fit in the end of the duct, said cap end and connectors between sections, said conhaving a body portion constituting a transverse nectors having knock-outs adapted to al'ine with wall in the end of the duct and a portion at right both the lamp-holder knock-outs and the startangles thereto adapted to fit against the duct mg switch knock-outs of the duct cover. cover, and extending over substantially half the 2. A mounting for luminous tubes comprising area or the knock-out adjacent the end 0! the a sheet metal duct having a cover provided with duct.

knock-outs spaced therealong adapted to receive lo JOHN A. HOEVEIER. 

